Lothair's Revenge
by Lady Dragonfern
Summary: Post-Breaking Dawn: bliss returns to the Cullen family until a mysterious bracelet arrives for Renesmee from an unknown source with sinister intentions. I plan to write a showdown with the Volturi that we missed in BD, with a twist. Lemons in ch2 and 3.
1. Chapter 1

All copyrights to Stephanie Meyer. I am just playing with her characters and imagining what might have happened after the Volturi disappeared into the mist at the end of Breaking Dawn. I am writing because I love the characters, but I really wanted a confrontation with the Volturi at the end of BD. As long as I imagine it for myself, I thought I might as well share. I started out pretty slow because I had to get a couple of lemons out of my system (see ch. 2 and 3), but after chapter 4 I'll get down to business.

Chapters 4 and 5 are up now. Please read & review, tell me if I should keep going!

**********

As I stared into the golden eyes of my husband, shivering once again as I contemplated the shocking truth that he had chosen to spend an eternity with me of all people, I wondered how I could ever have imagined a world without him. Only a fortnight ago, I had been facing off against the small but gifted Volturi army, convinced that my golden Edward and I were about to die. But of course that was silly: looking into his eyes now, I knew that there could be no world in which he did not exist.

Edward interrupted my daydreaming with a laugh, and for a fraction of a second I was sure he could read the ridiculous infatuation in my thoughts, and then was immediately grateful that mine was the only mind exempt from Edward's gift of mindreading. But he caught the brief spasm of hurt that danced across my face before I could suppress it. In an instant, his arms were around me and his lips pressed lightly to my forehead. "I'm sorry... what's wrong? What did I do?"

"It doesn't always have to be your fault, Edward," I chided lightly, the minor hurt already evaporated and replaced with a tinge of annoyance that I could not have a particle of negativity around me without Edward immediately taking blame on himself. And of course now he would be blaming himself for my annoyance. So to distract him before the negative spiral could begin, I asked, "what was funny?"

"Just Emmett and Rosalie. In light of their near-death experience, they are... rediscovering each other. If Carlisle and Esme don't send them off on a fourth honeymoon soon, an intervention may become necessary."

I joined in Edward's laughter then. Of course, I knew that we were not much better. If we didn't have our daughter Renesmee to care for, we might have stayed locked in our house for a year or two without emerging except to hunt. As it was, I was grateful that I no longer needed to sleep or there would not have been enough hours in the day for our love-making. The thought of Renesmee brought me back to our original conversation.

"You know that we can't enroll Renesmee in any kind of school. She grows too fast. All of the humans would notice," I worried.

"What need does she have of formal schooling? Carlisle and I know more than most college professors. We can tutor her," Edward soothed me.

"I would get a kick out of seeing her pretend to learn how to read and write and fingerpaint, though," Jacob interjected as he entered the room with Renesmee riding on his shoulders.

"Oh, Momma, I don't want to leave you and Daddy and Jacob!" Renesmee cried out in panic. She was still nervous after she had thought only two weeks ago that she would be losing us forever, running with Jacob from an army of vampires bent on destroying her. That thought brought me up short and suddenly I desperately wanted my daughter in my arms. Fortunately that was what she wanted too, because when I held my arms out to her she immediately vaulted off of Jacob's shoulders, using his head as a springboard, and landed gracefully in my embrace. I felt Edward's arms encircle both of us and we held out heads together, one happy family. Even Jacob could not help but be drawn into the warm glow of our happiness -- anything that made Renesmee happy by default made him happy as well thanks to the imprint bond.

After a few minutes, during which time Jacob shifted his bulky form awkwardly from foot to foot, I heard car tires hit the gravel driveway: Carlisle must be returning from work. Edward suddenly pulled away from our embrace with a quiet hiss.

"The nurses at the hospital are beginning to wonder about Carlisle's age. With his looks, it's hard not to watch him, and Carlisle overheard some gossip today. The going theory is plastic surgery, but it won't be long before someone begins to suspect the truth. Subconsciously people usually realize that there is something not quite human about us."

"Daddy, will we have to go away now?" Renesmee questioned.

"Don't even worry about it, baby. We'll talk about it tonight when everyone is home," I assured her.

"Can Jacob and Grampa Charlie come with us?"

"You know I can't leave you, Nessie. You don't even have to ask." Jacob had tactfully left out the fact that Grampa Charlie certainly could not pick up and follow us across the country. I would hate to leave him behind even more, possibly. I realized then that I had already accepted that we would be leaving, and soon. I always knew that as long as I was with Edward I would be ready to face anything, but I had not realized how completely my ties to everything else I once knew had been severed. Maybe not severed -- just retied to Edward. Forks had little meaning to me now except as a place where I could be with Edward. Any other place would have been fine, too. I would certainly miss Charlie, but that dull ache of sadness would be nothing compared to the desolation of life without Edward.

As I thought through this realization, we drifted downstairs to convene with the rest of the Cullen family. Jacob was a part of the family in all but name and so it seemed perfectly natural when he joined us in a circle around the dining room table. The others had all heard Edward's pronouncement of Carlisle's thoughts and looked resigned to the conclusion that this family meeting must ultimately come to.

Carlisle opened the discussion as the head of the family: "As Edward has no doubt already told you, there are the beginnings of some suspicions at the hospital about my unchanging appearance. So far, there is nothing serious, but we should be prepared to leave soon. Even if no one would begin to suspect exactly what we are, we do not want to give anyone a reason to take an interest in our family."

As he looked around the table, everyone simply nodded.

"But where will we go?" Esme already looked excited about the prospect of building and decorating a new home for the Cullen family.

"Can't we go somewhere in the middle of nowhere this time? I hate this constant moving and all of the secrecy. And I most definitely do not want to go back to high school again! I just finished a year ago," Rosalie complained.

"But how will I ever go shopping if we live in a barren wasteland?" Alice protested. When even Jasper looked at her askance at this statement, she tacked on, "and how will Carlisle be able to work in a hospital?"

"We could always build a hospital in our wasteland," Emmett joked to ease Rosalie's bitterness.

"What about Dartmouth?" Jasper interjected suddenly. I often overlooked his presence at these family gatherings because he held himself on the outside, rarely speaking but always watching.

"What an excellent idea, Jazz! You're brilliant," Alice beamed at him.

"We already have the house and Bella's enrollment has been deferred for a year," Edward supplied. I wondered when he'd had time to take care of that in the craziness of the past several months, and how much money had changed hands to smooth over the process.

"It should be a simple matter to enroll Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Jacob," Carlisle added.

"Now wait just one minute --" Jacob exclaimed.

"Of course we should have asked whether you wanted to come with us... We didn't mean to assume..." Esme stammered apologies.

"Let the dog stay behind if he wants! Good riddance!" Rosalie was still bitter.

"There will be no question of course that we would pay, Jacob, so no need to worry --" Carlisle began.

Edward saw the growing panic in Renesmee's face that her Jacob might be left behind and jumped in before any further damage could be done. "He's not worried about whether to go or who's paying. It's only that he doesn't have a high school diploma yet. And he doesn't want to leave Nessie long enough to go to classes. But really, I think he's just lazy."

We all chuckled a bit, relieved to have a plan now, especially one that would keep the whole family together.

"When will we leave?" I asked, wondering how long I would have to say goodbye to Charlie.

Carlisle seemed to sense my unease. "There's no need to be hasty. The danger is not so great yet that we have to leave immediately. We can take the time to get the house set up properly and make arrangements for your enrollment and my new employment before we go."

"There's no need for us to go at all, Bella. You and I could stay here with Nessie and Jacob in the cottage, or move into the house if you prefer. I'm sure Jacob would be more comfortable anyway staying near his pack." Of course Edward was ready to bend over backwards with concessions to spare me the least bit of pain.

"No, no! I want to go to Dartmouth. I look like an ignoramus next to all of you geniuses. If I ever want to catch up, I had better start educating myself now," I hurried to assure him.

"That's settled, then. We'll leave for New Hampshire this summer. That should give us enough time to prepare our way there and to tie up any loose ends here before fall term begins," Carlisle concluded the meeting.

I felt another pang of sadness as I realized how soon I would be leaving Charlie. I knew we would still be able to visit on the holidays, but things would never be the same and I wondered how much time I really had left to spend with him before he was lost to me forever. Still, I had signed up for this knowing exactly what I would be leaving behind. And I would not ruin the coming evening with Edward by betraying any of my misgivings in my face.

Thoughts of the evening immediately banished any lingering sadness, and I turned to my husband with what I hoped was a lustful glance. I rebalanced Nessie to one arm and held the other out to Edward. "Renesmee must be getting tired. Would you like to help me tuck her in for the night?"

Emmett guffawed obnoxiously before Edward could answer. "Is that what they're calling it nowadays? You'd better keep it down or the neighbors ten miles away will hear you and we'll be leaving town a whole lot sooner."

"Look who's talking, Em," I shot back with a smirk.

Edward only growled at his hulking brother before quickly twining his arm around my waist and towing me from the house. The light pressure of his hand on my hip aroused tingling sensations under my skin and I was glad to have Renesmee in my arms or I would have been tempted to jump on Edward and tear all of his clothes off right there in front of the rest of our family. I didn't need Alice's visions to know that this would be a very pleasant evening.

**********

Like I said, slow start. But I thought they needed a chance at bliss before I pull the rug out from under them... Please tell me what you think. I hope some people will enjoy and keep reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

If you don't like lemons, skip straight to chapter 4. Otherwise, enjoy :)

**********

A month later, not much had changed. Emmett was placing bets with Jasper on whether he and Rosalie or Edward and I would tear down our respective houses first. Alice was still on a campaign to educate me in the ways of fashion in general and the use of my excessive closet in particular. Carlisle said that whispered rumors about his age persisted at the hospital, although his fellow doctors had yet to take much notice, so we were safe for a few more months. Jacob spent all of his waking hours with Renesmee, who had taken a liking to beating him in Monopoly and chess and any other game she could lay her hands on. He didn't even have to pretend to let her beat him anymore -- he could barely keep up. When he wasn't tutoring Renesmee, Edward had his head together with Esme, making plans for our trip to New Hampshire. He had bought the house in his name when he thought it might be just the two of us living there so I could attend Dartmouth as a human. Now that the whole family would be going, he seemed to feel that he should play the host. And of course Edward felt the need to attend to every possible detail -- he was nothing if not thorough, after all, especially when it came to the comforts of his family.

That night after we put Renesmee to bed, I was ready to snag Edward and drag him to our bedroom but the crease of a worry line between his eyebrows brought me up short.

"What's wrong?" I chimed in my soprano bell tone voice.

"I'm certain that I must be missing something in the new house. This is the first time I've ever set up house and I want it to be perfect. For you and Ness and the rest of the family," Edward worried.

"I'm sure it's perfect! As long as her closet is bigger than any other room in the house, Alice will be happy, which means Jasper will be happy too. And you built an addition the size of a second house to accommodate all of the cars, which will certainly please Rosalie. Emmett would live in Antarctica if it meant being near Rose, so he's fine too. You let Esme furnish the place herself -- not that she wouldn't have loved whatever you decided to do with the place, but I think picking it out herself gives her a nice sense of nesting. And Carlisle's study is wherever you set up his books..."

"You think of everything, love," Edward laughed.

"No, you think of everything! This was all your doing," I countered. "But you still worry."

"But I still worry," he concurred.

"I bet I can think of something that will cheer you up." I winked at my husband lustily and raised my eyebrows suggestively. But it looked like he wasn't budging because the worry line remained stubbornly creasing his forehead. I placed my finger between his eyebrows with a frown of my own. "Well if I can't cheer you up that way, what can I do to make it better?"

"Well..." I wondered what could possibly make him look so sheepish.

"Yes? Just spit it out." I was instantly contrite after that last -- I rarely used that tone with anyone but Jacob, but I was somewhat frustrated that he had rejected my previous advance.

"I would feel better if I could just go take a look over the house in person. I would feel so much better knowing everything is in order. You wouldn't have to come with me, of course..."

"What?! Don't you even think of leaving me behind! You know I can't bear to be apart from you..."

The worry line disappeared then but I thought I caught a glimpse of a smirk flicker across Edward's face before his features settled into a look of relief. He must really be worried about the house. I knew he would be meticulous in his hosting duties, but this seemed a bit excessive even for him... What was I thinking? Of course he was just this obsessive. He had gifted me with a missile- and tank-proof car in the last of my human days before our wedding just to make sure that my tendency to attract accidents wouldn't kill me before he changed me into a vampire.

"Are you sure? You won't mind leaving Renesmee?" he asked cautiously.

"Why don't we ask her in the morning? We can tell her we'll bring back a special Dartmouth-opoly to play with Jacob. And I'm sure she won't mind a week or so without your lessons. How many one-year-olds have you heard of studying geometry?"

We laughed together for a minute over the brilliance of our daughter. But our expressions abruptly changed as our eyes locked together for a second. In an instant, Edward yanked me up into his arms and flitted down the hall to our bedroom.

He set me gently down on the bed and I felt his arms pulling away from my body. His hands left the impression of cold where they had been touching my skin, as though the heat of our passion had actually raised the temperature of my permanently cool skin. Before I could cry out in protest, I saw that he was flitting around the room lighting candles. Less than ten seconds later, he slipped lithely onto the bed, managing to shed his shirt in the process, and snaked his way across the satin sheets to my side.

"What was that about?" I whispered uncertainly. Although I knew my new body was beautiful and he could see perfectly well in the dark anyway, I felt a bit shy in the light of the candles.

Instead of answering, he only reached out a hand to gently brush my cheek. His fingers continued past my ear and tangled in my hair, pulling my face toward his as he leaned forward to lock his lips on mine. I gasped in surprise and blossoming ardor, inhaling his sweet scent. I felt Edward shiver as my hands trailed up his spine until my arms locked behind his neck.

Edward's hands suddenly left my hair and found my waist, grasping me and sliding my body towards and then under his. From there they slipped under the hem of my shirt, tugging the material up after them. I moaned lightly as I felt the incredible sensation of the skin of his naked torso slipping against mine.

Never removing his lips from mine, Edward slipped his hands around to my back and deftly unhooked my bra and let it slide away from my body. His hands trailed up my sides and I gasped when I felt the gentle touch of his thumb grazing the side of one full breast. My hands tangled in his hair and I felt my hips jump involuntarily towards him, where they met the hard bulge of his erection straining against his pants.

I gasped again and Edward removed his lips from mine to pull my shirt over my head. I glanced down to see the outline of his member sandwiched between us and suddenly I just wanted to touch it, to feel its hard and heavy weight in my hands. As Edward dropped his head to suckle one of my already aroused nipples, I dropped my hand down his back once more and caressed around his hip before running my fingertips up his length concealed beneath the fabric of his pants.

He gasped and sucked my nipple all the way into his mouth in response. I chuckled and moved my hand up to find the button and zipper, which I undid quickly. I slipped my hands into the waistband of his boxers and slid everything past his hips in one motion. Freed from its confinement, his engorged member landed heavily against my thigh.

"Well aren't you eager tonight?" Edward whispered in my ear, sliding up my body and positioning himself between my legs.

"I'm always eager for you," I whispered back, grinding myself against him.

"But I think you are falling a bit behind," he replied, tugging at the waistband of my jeans. "And I want to be able to smell all of you."

His lips stole away again to leave a trail of kisses down my throat and between my breasts, laying a kiss on each nipple before continuing down my stomach. He slipped my jeans and panties off down, nuzzled me once and then ran his tongue up my wet cleft. I was gasping too much to protest when he pulled away to finish removing my pants and then his own.

He was back in an instant, kneeling before me and then pressing the full length of his body against mine, finally returning his lips to mine. As our bodies moved against one another, his erection rubbed tantalizingly close to my opening, brushing lightly against my clit.

"Edward! Oh, Edward!" I cried out, craving him deep inside me.

He briefly lifted his hips to guide himself to my opening and gently slipped into me. His first teasing thrust carried him barely past my opening and he played there for a few seconds. I raised my hips to meet him and pull him deeper into me, and he obliged by suddenly stroking all the way into me, smacking his body into mine. I threw back my head as I felt the twin pleasures of the his head hitting that deep spot inside me and his hips grinding against me.

"More! More!" I wrapped my arms around the small of his back to pull him even tighter against me and felt a tightening begin in my gut.

"Oh, my Bella! What you do to my self-control," Edward growled into my ear. The rumbling in his chest set off a new wave of sensation against my breasts and I moaned again, the tightening carrying me upward in a spiral of feeling.

I felt a oneness with my Edward, locked together by lips, bodies, hearts and souls. I tightened my hold even more and suddenly felt the tidal wave begin to crest, washing over me in spasms of ecstasy. I cried out as the waves spread throughout my body, and I heard Edward call out my name as he reached his climax in the next second. The pulsations of his orgasm only added to the lingering pleasure of the ripples passing through my body.

I loved the feeling of Edward's weight as he collapsed on top of me. We lay unmoving, tangled together for several minutes, just basking in the aftershocks of the pleasure we had shared. If I were still human, I thought I could have fallen asleep just like this.

But I was supremely glad a moment later that I was not human, because as Edward looked up at me with a mischievous smile, I could already feel the stirrings of another erection where he still lay inside of me. I giggled as he pulled himself out only to lock his lips on mine and begin all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

Another lemon... last one before I get to the real story. I just had to get it out of my system.

**********

During the few hours that night we had not spent locked in each other's arms, Edward and I packed enough clothes for a week's trip. Renesmee readily gave her consent to our trip, but she didn't look the least bit surprised. I wondered if Edward had spoken to her about it already. When I walked with Renesmee to the main house, I was surprised to find Edward surreptitiously loading camping gear into Emmett's Jeep.

"I thought we were going to check out the house..." I began.

"I think they might still be working on the addition, and I don't know if all the furniture has arrived yet," Edward replied smoothly. Too smoothly. Something was going on here. I growled a little but otherwise didn't comment. I continued into the house to find Alice. If Edward was up to something, surely Alice would be able to see where we were going.

I passed Renesmee off to Jacob, who was already setting up the Game of Life on the dining room table. He said that even if she won that one, he would eventually get to share the spoils.

Just as I was turning to look for Alice, the object of my thoughts danced down the stairs with a suitcase in hand. "What's going on, Alice? Has Edward told you anything about where we're going?"

"Of course -- you're going to New Hampshire to make sure that my closet is big enough!" Alice replied gleefully. "And I saw that you're going to forget your suitcase, so I packed this for you. I'll just tell Edward to put it in the car."

"But Alice, now that you reminded me how can I forget --" The protest died on my lips because my sister-in-law was already out the front door.

I stalked outside to confront my husband. He could not stand to face my anger for long. But of course I knew he would just lie some more. I had to do this just right if I wanted to get my answers.

"What's going on, Edward? You know I hate surprises!" I growled, interrupting his industrious loading process. I wondered how so much gear could fit into the back of Emmett's Jeep, and I wondered why we would be taking the Jeep in the first place -- surely one of Edward's sports cars or even his Volvo would be more suited to a cross-country drive...

"We're going to verify the condition of the house in New Hampshire, of course..."

"Hmph. It's not polite to lie to your wife. I think maybe I'll just stay with Renesmee. She'll miss me and anyway you don't need my help to survey a house that is already perfectly sound." I yanked my bag out of the back and turned back to the house. I wondered how well my bluff would work.

"As you wish, love. I'll hurry back." Edward didn't miss a beat. How infuriating!

Mere few seconds later I heard the engine start and the car tires crunch down the gravel drive. He really was leaving without me! How could he?! I dropped my suitcase and ran after him. I found the Jeep idling at the end of the drive, and immediately knew I had been duped. He was waiting for me, clearly expecting that I could not bear to be left behind. Rather than face his maddening smugness, I just slipped into the passenger seat and stared ahead sullenly.

"You know I hate surprises! I will make this trip truly miserable for you, Mr. Cullen," I vowed. Edward valued his life enough not to laugh at me, at least, although I did see his lips twitch into the hint of a smirk.

**********

Edward seemed to have a playlist for every occasion, including one full of apologies and expressions of loving devotion. After fifty miles of different sung versions of "I'm sorry, I love you," "you know I could never hurt you" and "forgive me before I die" I made the mistake of glancing over at him. Of course he was looking at me instead of at the road, and the look in his eyes melted my carefully cultivated resentment.

"Enough! Enough! You are most definitely not forgiven, but you'll kill me with any more of the sappy forgive me songs," I finally laughed, removing the CD and switching on a random radio station.

The rest of the miles passed in a blur, and we made good time through the night as Edward was able to step up the pace. I thought about asking for my turn to drive, but decided we would only fight about it and then I would have to listen to another fifty miles of "forgive me, I love you"s.

Thanks to, or perhaps in spite of, Edward's insane driving, we safely crossed the border into New Hampshire in about a day and a half. Perhaps twenty minutes and ten miles later, the sun was setting as he pulled the Jeep off the road onto an unmarked trail.

"I knew it! Where are we going?" I demanded with renewed vigor.

"I just thought we could both use a hunt before we confront the work crew at the house, the entire population of Dartmouth and the city of Hanover," Edward responded reasonably.

"You mean I could use a hunt as the only crazy, uncontrollable newborn vampire on this roadtrip." I was feeling sheepish now after my sudden outburst. Even if I knew I was being manipulated, maybe just this once I could give in gracefully. I was just embarrassing myself with all this obstinacy.

"You're doing incredibly well, Bella." Edward was supportive, as ever. I didn't know if I deserved it, but I certainly wasn't saying no.

"So where are we really going? You can drop the act now... I know you're up to something."

"In that case will you humor me just a bit longer? And maybe put this blindfold on for me?" He must have seen some resistance in my eyes, because he added in an incredibly husky, plaintive, heartbreaking voice, "please?"

My resistance melted immediately, of course. I willpower could never stand up against his pleading, although he mercifully did not use it very often on me. I took the proffered blindfold with only the least bit of grumping and obediently bound it over my eyes.

I had never been blindfolded as a vampire before -- it would be largely impossible to blindfold a vampire without his or her cooperation, I thought -- but it was an interesting experience. When I opened my eyes, I could see the individual strands of thread making up the cotton cloth. And where the threads left tiny gaps, I could see individual points of light. If I closed one eye to reduce interference from the other and focused enough, those little gaps would probably be enough to make out vague shapes directly in front of me. But I decided it wasn't worth the effort to spoil Edward's surprise. So instead I just closed my eyes and let my other senses take over. I could still hear the grinding of dirt underneath the heavy treads of the SUV, but I could also hear the sounds of the highway receding -- no more hum of electricity through the power lines, and the wind now was muffled by the trees.

Soon after, the Jeep crunched to a stop on the dirt. I thought the trail must have opened out into a clearing because the sound of the wind picked up and the woodland sounds were just broader, as though they bounced outward from the trees and never came back. I had no time to contemplate this as Edward was out of the car and opening my door in the instant after he cut the engine.

"Where are we, Edward?" I gasped, breathing in lungfuls of the delicious night air laden with overtones of earth and woods.

He said nothing but guided me forward some twenty paces, farther into the open, I guessed, as the night sounds dissipated more. Finally we stopped and I felt his fingertips touch my blindfold. I caught his scent as he leaned toward me from behind to whisper "happy Valentine's Day" into my ear and slipped the blindfold off.

I was staring off a cliff into a beautiful sunset, standing beneath an arbor trained with ivy and dormant rose bushes. I groped behind me for Edward's hand to pull his arm around me and slide my body into his, wanting only to share this incredible moment with him.

"How did you find this place?" I breathed, unwilling to break the mood.

Before Edward could answer, I twisted around in his arms to face him and gaze into his eyes. Edward often claimed that as a vampire he did not have a soul, but soul or not I could see the goodness of his inner being shining out of his amber eyes. As my heart fell into his eyes, I felt my body fall into his.

I must have taken him by surprise, because what I thought was a gentle push sent Edward tumbling backward into the grass beneath the ivy-laden arbor, with me landing on top of him. Before I became a vampire, we always had to be so careful with my fragile, breakable human body. Even months after my change, I reveled in our ability to be so free with each other, to make love without fear or worry.

While one tiny corner of my mind contemplated the benefits of immortality and relative invincibility, the majority was focused on Edward: the hard but satiny feeling of his lips moving against mine, our legs tangled together, his scent mingled with grass and roses and earth.

In his fierce, hard kisses I found the passionate release of over 24-hours' worth of pent up energy from sitting so long in the car. His fingertips tickled my sensitive skin when his hands wandered beneath my shirt, and I giggled against his lips. I felt a warning contraction of his abdominal muscles, and suddenly Edward's whole body bunched under me as he neatly flipped me over onto my back, coming to rest again on top of me. His lips wandered up my neck to my ear and he nibbled my earlobe with a mock-growl while his fingertips continued tormenting my stomach, occasionally venturing lower and soliciting gasps and moans from my eager lips.

I was suddenly feeling playful, so I let my hands steal casually down his back and lightly tickle his butt. He twitched away, momentarily distracted, and I took my opportunity to flip him over again, unbuttoning and sliding off his pants in one lightening move. I kissed the tip of the bulge still contained by his boxers before returning to his lips.

"Oh, very sneaky, Mrs. Cullen," he growled around my kisses. Then before I could react he slipped his hands between our bodies, grasped by shirt and ripped it straight down the middle. "Oh, how I want you!"

More mischief slipped into my mind as he tried to flip me over again, and I slipped from his grasp and sprinted for the woods, laughing gaily. Edward was faster than I and could easily catch me, of course, but I had another trick up my sleeve. I knew he was feet behind me because his scent reached me as I broke into the trees, so I slipped my bra off and tossed it over my shoulder into his face. I stole a glance over my shoulder to see Edward lose a step as the scent of the bra I had worn for the past 36 hours or so overwhelm his senses. It had wrapped around his head, and he couldn't help but inhale a few deep breaths through his nose, savoring the scent, before he ripped it off and renewed his pursuit.

I luxuriated in the wind tearing against my body, whipping along my bare skin, as I ran in strong, flowing bounds. I darted between the trees as Edward ghosted behind me, and the feeling of pursuit heightened my already aroused senses. Just as he was about to close on me, I shot a hand out to grab the small trunk of a sapling and leveraged my body around. When I had brought myself all the way around, I let go and shot forward toward Edward's back. I thudded into him, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms across his shoulders and chest as the momentum of my slingshot carried us both forward to the ground.

We soared on the adrenaline of the chase, the excitement funneling into our passion, and we ripped the remains of each other's clothes off. Edward made a move to flip me over again, but I put a restraining hand on his chest and pushed him back, bringing my leg over his hips to straddle him. I positioned him just inside my opening, held there for a second to tease him with the anticipation, and then thrust down. I gasped as I felt his hardness sliding all the way into me, and I threw my head back as I involuntarily clenched all of my muscles.

He gasped as well as my sudden tightness pulled at him, and I knew I had found a new way to please him. With another mischievous smile, I tightened my muscles and pulled away, caressing his entire length before I plunged down again. It was his turn to throw his head back now, and I reveled in my power to please him.

Starting slowly and gradually building in speed, I gyrated in the rhythm of tightening, pulling and thrusting. I felt him grow harder and quiver inside me as his breathing came in more ragged gasps. I threw myself forward, my hands falling on his chest, and suddenly my thrusts carried him exactly to my pleasure spot. I pushed harder and faster, feeling myself build towards my own climax as I carried Edward to his.

I felt the muscles of my stomach tightening, tightening, tightening, and I squeezed my eyes shut in pleasure. I rode the cresting wave higher, feeling the tightness narrowing to a pinpoint until suddenly it exploded through my body, tearing a scream out of my chest as spasms rolled through my body.

Edward's hips jumped at my scream and I felt his hands on my hips, guiding me through a few more strokes before his pulled me tight to his body. His hips strained off the ground toward me, pressing himself even further into my body as I felt him cum inside me. The pulsations of his orgasm set off new ripples of pleasure inside me and we rocked together for another minute before collapsing together in a tangle of limbs.

We lay quietly together for several minutes before I began to stir, trying to get my weight off of him. But Edward pressed on the small of my back with his arm wrapped around me, pulling me back on top of him. He laid his other hand behind my head, gently pulling me to his chest.

"I love laying with you like this. Would that we could stay here forever," he murmured over my head, the faint rumbling in his chest comforting against my cheek.

"Mm-hmm..." I was still lost in the dreamy aftershocks of our pleasure. Pulling together the shreds of my sanity, I reiterated the question I had asked before the evening had taken such a pleasant detour: "How did you find this place?"

"I lived outside Hanover once before to attend Dartmouth and I stumbled across this place while hunting in these woods. It reminds me a bit of our clearing, and I wanted to show it to you before the whole family was here."

"But why all the secrecy?"

"Well... I know how reasonable (or not) you are about gifts and surprises. I thought the only way to get you here was to make you believe you were coming for me."

"We didn't have to come all this way just for a Valentine's Day surprise! I'm sure there are lots of cliffs with nice sunset views between here and Washington..."

"Would it make you feel better if we looked in on the house? You can pick out your favorite bedroom for us and one for Renesmee."

I was too content to hold on to any annoyance at the moment, so I just nodded against his chest and went back to contemplating my never-ending happiness.

We lost track of the hours and before I knew it, the forest was coming to life and the sun began filtering through the bare tree branches. We passed that day and the next five exploring the woods, dallying wherever we wanted as the mood struck us, and setting up the tent when in my shyness I was overcome with a need for privacy.

The house, as I had originally suspected, was in perfect order when we surveyed it, ready for us to move in tomorrow if we wanted. I realized then that my family was really only delaying in Forks long enough for me to say my farewells to Charlie. I was overcome with guilt and remorse at this thought -- I was already putting my whole family in danger of exposure by making them stay, and here I was galavanting with Edward across the country, delaying their departure even more when I should be saying my goodbyes. So I told Edward firmly but a little regretfully that it was time to head home. We loaded up Emmett's Jeep and took to the highway again, departing into the sunset just as we had arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

And now for the real story... I hope it captures your interest :)

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Edward's eyes took on a distracted aspect as we got within his 'hearing' range of Forks. I knew he was getting updates on the happenings of our family by picking the thoughts out of their heads. Suddenly, he punched the gas and the Jeep shot forward. I heard our luggage pitching around in the back. Although Edward did not look unusually tense, I was immediately worried. Something terrible must have happened -- a new danger that threatened to tear our family apart. Clearly one person was not allowed to have this much bliss, and Fate was determined to exact payment for my good fortune.

"Why the sudden rush?" I asked Edward, trying to keep my voice nonchalant.

"Renesmee is impatient for our arrival. She misses you. And I know I've been monopolizing you too much lately. I have been unforgivably selfish."

By now I had mostly gotten over Edward's never-failing self-flagellation, and I just laughed. "Well, I forgive you. So there. Besides, most of the time we spend together is at night when Renesmee doesn't know the difference anyway."

I was really just as eager to be reunited with my daughter as Edward said she was to be with me. I wouldn't tell him this, though -- it would just give him another excuse to find fault with himself.

We pulled onto the gravel driveway within minutes, and as the house came into view I saw that the whole family was assembled out front to welcome us home. They looked entirely too pleased for anything to be wrong, so I banished my lingering fears about Edward's earlier reaction to their thoughts and just focused on the happy reunion.

Alice danced forward first to meet me, smugness showing under her huge grin. "I told you you would forget your suitcase!"

"You knew what Edward was planning the whole time! You little liar," I laughed at her.

"Oh, but wasn't it so much better this way?" she wheedled sweetly.

Between my joy in the homecoming and the blissful memories of our trip that her comment conjured, I couldn't find any words to reply. I just beamed at her, taking in the rest of my family as well with my speechless happiness.

Everyone crowded in for hugs and kisses all around, and finally Renesmee was overcome with impatience. In her ringing voice she cried out, "_MommaMommawelcomehomeIloveyou_" all in one long string, and I pictured her hugging me.

I turned to look for her and realized with a jolt that I had seen myself with a set of little arms around my neck. This must be from her perspective, not mine. How unusual...

"Thank you, Renesmee, I love you, too," I replied, moving towards her.

Everyone laughed a little and spread apart so I could reach her, waiting in Jacob's arms.

"I think you've been in the car too long, Bells -- she didn't say anything..." Jacob commented as Renesmee vaulted into my arms and wrapped herself around me.

"Of course she did. I think you need your ears checked. Too much howling at the moon," I replied.

"Umm... Bella, what exactly did you hear?" Edward asked curiously.

"She said 'Momma! Welcome home. I love you'."

"Hmm. And what made you turn around?"

"I saw myself hugging her, so I just turned to do it..."

"You saw? Bella, she didn't say anything. She thought it. And you heard her. And then she pictured herself hugging you, and you saw that too!"

"No, they couldn't have been touching. You saw that Bella was over five feet away." Edward was looking at Carlisle as he spoke, so I assumed he must be answered Carlisle's unspoken thought.

"Then what does it mean?" Carlisle asked aloud.

"I can think of two possibilities: either Bella has acquired the ability to read minds (unlikely), or Renesmee has learned how to project her thoughts into another mind without the need for contact," Edward offered.

Carlisle and Edward were the most intellectual members of the family, and I knew from experience that when they got hold of a new and interesting question like this one, they wouldn't break out of their frenzied conjecturing for hours or even days. So I turned my attention to more interesting matters, like the memories that my daughter was flooding into my mind through her palm on my cheek. Featured prominently in her account were several games of Monopoly in which she had soundly defeated Jacob. She was beginning to get bored with that one, so Auntie Alice and Uncle Jasper were teaching her how to play chess. Jacob vowed he would only play on her team for that one. Esme had tried out a recipe for macaroni and cheese she saw on a cooking show, and Renesmee found it somewhat less objectionable than other human fare. Jacob had wanted to let her try pizza after that, but Rosalie was adamant that it wasn't proper food for a baby.

We stood for perhaps half an hour while Renesmee replayed her week for me, during which time the rest of the family drifted back inside the house. Her recitation caught up to the present, ending with a picture of Edward turning away from Carlisle to stare at me intently, and a question: _why?_ I turned towards Edward and found him still staring at me.

"Did you hear that?" he asked eagerly.

"Hear what? Renesmee showed you staring at me."

"Oh. Maybe it will help if you look at me and really focus -- try to hear me."

I humored him, even closing my eyes and furrowing my brow in concentration. "I've got nothing."

"It must be Renesmee, then," Carlisle concluded.

"Yes," Edward agreed, turning back to Carlisle. "Of course I would never notice because I can hear her anyway. Maybe she could try projecting at you, Carlisle."

Edward turned back toward me with Renesmee still in my arms. "Nessie, can you show Carlisle what you had for dinner last night?" He paused briefly, then turned to Carlisle again. "Did you see that?"

"Macaroni and cheese. She liked it, though not as much as blood," Carlisle said slowly, a look of wonder spreading across his face.

"That's terrific, Nessie," Edward encouraged. "I want to see how far you can project. Can you call Jacob out here for me?"

Renesmee looked toward the house and seconds later Jacob emerged, quickly joining us and holding his arms out to her.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously.

"It seems that Renesmee's gift is advancing -- she can project her thoughts to a specific person now without needing to touch them. I want to see how far she can project."

"Interesting." Jacob shrugged.

"You're not surprised."

"I've always known what she wanted, and I always felt like I could hear her. I just thought it was part of the imprinting thing."

"Hmm. Well, then you're probably not the best experimental subject. You are too attuned. Esme, maybe. Nessie, will you call Grandma Esme?"

Seconds later, Esme fluttered out curiously. "Was that Nessie? She said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, let's go inside so I can explain to everyone," Edward replied. He called the others as we entered the house and we were soon seated around the dining room table.

"What's going on, little brother?" Emmett rumbled. He and Rosalie looked a little mussed, and I could imagine what Edward's announcement had interrupted. This momentary distraction led my thoughts into memories of our trip, and with an effort I pulled my mind back to the present.

"I just wanted to share the news that Renesmee's gift has developed to a new level. She can project her thoughts without the need for physical contact," Edward announced, a vision of a proud father. "We will have to work with her to see how far she can extend, and if she can project to more than one person at a time."

Edward's speech was interrupted by the sound of tires crunching heavily on gravel and a laboring truck engine chugging up the driveway.

"It's just the postal service," Edward whispered, and everyone slipped into their human charade: fidgeting, blinking, crossing legs, touching hair.

Heavy boots clomped up the stairs and the doorbell rang once. Without waiting for an answer, the boots clomped back down the stairs to the truck. The idling engine protested back up the drive and then it was silent once again. No one made a move toward the door.

"Well?" Carlisle asked expectantly. "Who ordered a package?"

Silence.

"Wrong house, maybe?" Esme asked, rising to retrieve the offending package. She returned holding a small, padded manila mailer. "It's addressed to Renesmee..."

We all turned to stare at Renesmee, cuddled in Jacob's arms. She pressed a hand to Jacob's cheek.

"She says she doesn't know anything about it," Edward translated, reading the thought as Renesmee channeled it to Jacob.

Esme moved to hand Renesmee the package, but I had a sudden inkling of danger and held my hand out for it instead.

"Who knows what it is or who sent it? We should be careful. I'll open it," I declared. Esme handed me the small envelope and I carefully slit it open with a finger. I peeked inside and then shook the contents out onto the table for everyone to see: a purple velvet pouch. I upended the pouch and out spilled a little golden chain with a heavy charm attached.

Picking up the chain, which I now realized was a bracelet, I turned the charm to examine it more closely. It was a golden heart carved intricately with twining vines, and engraved across the surface was one word in fanciful script: FOREVER.

I could only imagine Jacob getting something like this for Renesmee, and I looked at him with the question in my eyes.

"No, definitely not me," he growled, reading my expression. "And I hope whoever sent it doesn't value his health, because he won't be breathing much longer."

"Jealous, dog? Of course you know you would never stand up to a little healthy competition." Rosalie couldn't resist a chance to needle Jacob.

But the dark mood was broken now. Everyone relaxed and Edward concluded, "it certainly doesn't look sinister."

I wasn't so sure, though. Suddenly my nervous mood from this morning came rushing back, and I eyed the bracelet I still held with suspicion. I grabbed Alice's elbow as everyone else began drifting away. "Alice, can you see anything?"

"You know I can't see Ness, Bella."

"Right. I'm just worried. I don't like it."

"You worry too much, love," Edward said from behind me, placing his hands lightly on my waist to guide me out of the dining room. I smiled and turned to kiss him, dropping the bracelet on the table. I let him lead me away and hitched a smile on my face, but in the back of my mind I was still contemplating the mysterious bracelet and what this new attention could mean for my daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Months had passed and everyone had forgotten about the mysterious charm bracelet -- everyone but me, that is. And Jacob. But Jacob attributed it with a completely different set of intentions than I did. To Jacob, the bracelet represented competition, and he could never be sure enough of his hold on Renesmee's affections that competition from some unknown, physically perfect immortal specimen didn't make him nervous. He never brought it up anymore, though, because Rosalie just teased him and the whole family laughed at him. For my part, I had a lingering suspicion that the Volturi were somehow involved in the sending of the bracelet, that in his insane desire to possess another jewel for his collection, Aro was once again scheming to tear my family's happiness asunder. But I didn't talk about it either because when I did even Edward would look at me like there was something not quite right in my head, like he might have to commit me to a cell with padded walls if I didn't let go of this delusional obsession.

With this newfound determination to act normal (or as normally as any vampire ever acts), I set off with my family to our clearing under a sky that threatened rain to play a game of baseball in honor of the Fourth of July. Because Emmett contented that Edward could not be trusted to play properly against me, I was to play on their team against the team of Jasper, Rosalie and Carlisle. Alice would act as the permanent pitcher -- it would be unfair for her to actually play because she would always know exactly where the ball was going to be and where to hit it to get a home run. Esme would act as the umpire to make the teams even.

Jacob thought it best not to be around us when we were being so vampire-y, so he elected to take Renesmee hunting. She grumbled a bit -- she wanted to watch this new and fascinating game -- but in the end she gave in when Jacob agreed to spend the next day playing any games she wanted.

Edward and I raced to the clearing. He usually won our races now as my newborn strength was beginning to fade -- I was almost ten months old now. But I cheated this time, lifting my shield every time he started to overtake me and throwing images at him of our trip to New Hampshire for Valentine's Day. The startled excitement elicited by these images slowed him for a few steps, allowing me to burst into the clearing just ahead of him.

"Cheat!" he growled at me, taking my hand and pulling me against his chest for a kiss. "I'm just glad I'm playing on your team. I can't concentrate when you do that to me."

"I know," I replied smugly. "Don't pretend you don't enjoy it, though."

"Too much, as you certainly know and use to your advantage."

Emmett burst into the clearing more slowly then and caught us wrapped up in each other's arms. "Enough of that, you two. How do you expect to win if you spend the whole game canoodling in the woods instead of playing the outfield?"

"Emmett..." Edward growled in warning. Then he smiled ever so slightly. "It's just as well that Bella will be catching. I know how you so hate to lose."

"Damn straight!" Emmett replied, breaking into a premature victory dance.

"What's this, baby? Best not start celebrating just yet," Rosalie chimed in as she entered the clearing next, closely followed by Jasper and Alice, hand in hand. Carlisle and Esme followed at a more sedate pace.

"How long, Alice?" Carlisle asked, looking up at the sky obscured by huge grey thunderclouds.

"Another 65 seconds," Alice trilled happily. "Bring forth the bat!"

Esme brought the bat to home plate for Emmett and Rosalie to decide which team would bat first. They took turns placing one hand on top of another until Rosalie grabbed the pommel. She pulled the bat away and broke into her own victory dance, but Emmett tackled her to the ground. We all laughed at their light-hearted wrestling until the clouds broke open and thunder pealed 40 seconds later -- our signal to begin the game.

I took my place behind home plate as Rosalie came up to bat, who was taking a few practice half-swings. I saw Edward and Emmett grinning and jumping around in the outfield. Alice still managed to look like a ballerina as she wound up, bringing her right arm back and pivoting on her left foot in one fluid motion, continuing the motion around to throw the ball, and ending her release with a pirouette. Despite the apparent daintiness of Alice's throwing motion, the pitch rocketed forward. I remembered that my human eyes had trouble following the trajectory of the ball, but now I had no problem tracking it into my glove. I could even see the stitching rolling over and over in the motion of a curveball. If I could see the ball so well, of course Rosalie could as well, and she swung the bat around to connect with a hard smack. Rosalie took off around the bases as Emmett jumped to intercept the ball in right field. I could already see that it was too high for him, but Edward was already running back toward the trees. It connected with a tree trunk, shaking the tree branches and leaving a substantial dent in the trunk, and rebounded into Edward's hand just as Rosalie hit second base.

"Out!" Esme called.

"What? No fair! It hit a tree -- that should count as grounded..." Rosalie protested.

"Eheh... it was a good shot, baby, but not good enough," Emmett laughed good-naturedly as Rosalie pouted her way off the field.

Jasper came up to bat next, Edward and Emmett backing up towards the trees in preparation for a heavy hitter. But Jasper slowed the bat speed just a fraction of a second before he connected, and the ball sluggishly rolled to rest close to the pitcher's mound. Alice made no move to grab the ball, just dancing around in place. Edward had seen the plan in Jasper's head just before he slowed the bat, and was charging towards the infield before the ball had even changed directions. But he still wasn't fast enough, and Jasper was coming into second base when he turned to throw the ball to Emmett.

"Alice, you knew that was going to happen... why didn't you do anything?" Edward growled at his favorite sister.

"I'm neutral, remember?" she smiled sweetly, but then winked at Jasper in her next pirouette.

I couldn't be annoyed with her -- I knew I would do the same for Edward if we were on different teams. Emmett had been right to keep us together, but not for the reason he thought. I could (and would) cheat just as badly as Edward.

Our laughter was interrupted before Alice could throw another pitch to Carlisle by a high-pitched shriek from the forest -- about five miles away, I judged based on the faintness of the sound. In an instant, I recognized the voice and cried out "Renesmee!" as I turned to sprint towards the sound without a backward glance at my family. I assumed they were following already.

I reached the clearing in a few minutes, running scenarios in my head. I imagined I would find Jacob twitching on the ground, fighting against the pain of Jane's gift, trying to delay Felix and Demetri for a few seconds so that Renesmee might have a chance to escape to the safety of our family's protection. I listened intently for sounds of her flight and pursuit, or for Jacob's defiant snarls, but I heard nothing. I began to think that I must be too late when I burst upon the scene to find Renesmee and Jacob bickering about something, surrounded by six drained elk carcasses.

Renesmee turned to me with a look of worry and I felt a question projected in my head: an image of my worried face and _???_

"Are you alright? I heard a scream..." I began.

"Tell Jacob that I won, Momma," Renesmee whined at me.

"Of course you won, Nessie," I heard Edward's voice behind me. Good, I wasn't the only one who had been confused by the screams. I turned to look for the rest of my family, but only Edward had followed, it seemed. Of course, he was the fastest, so they must be right behind. But I couldn't hear anyone else approaching. I looked back at Edward's face, and he did look confused and concerned, but he was only looking at me, not at the scene of Renesmee and Jacob happy and well against all odds.

"What happened, Bella?" He approached me slowly, extending a hand for me to take.

"I heard Renesmee's scream and I thought something was happening."

"Even if Alice can't see them, you know I would have heard if anything were amiss." He tapped his forehead with the index finger of one hand, the other still extended and now capturing mine, tugging me back toward the baseball clearing. I followed absently, still confused, but also feeling a bit foolish.

Memories of the last baseball game I had witnessed, when the tracker James had first met me and decided he would love nothing better than to torture and kill me, must have been making more potent the fears I was fighting to suppress about the Volturi.

Edward must have seen something in my face that mirrored my thoughts, because he squeezed my hand to bring me back to the present and asked softly, "you're still worried about that bracelet, aren't you?"

I just looked at him stupidly. I didn't know what to say that wouldn't confirm his suspicions that I was going quietly crazy.

"I see you thinking about it, worrying, even if you don't say anything anymore," he continued.

"I'm sorry... I just can't help it. I can't shake the feeling."

"You really shouldn't worry so much. We won't let anything happen to her. We'll keep her extra close if you think it will make you feel better."

"I don't want to smother her, but... yes, that would help. Our life is just too perfect. I keep waiting for something to go wrong, for everything to break apart," I admitted.

He hugged my silently, and I knew he was still worried about my worrying, typical Edward. I vowed to put my fears from my mind -- if the rest of my family knew that everything would be fine, who was I to worry, really? And with this new mindset, I hitched a smile on my face to meet the assault of Emmett's teasing. I diverted all of my attention to the game and the rest of the afternoon passed without incident, except when we won and Rosalie refused to talk to Emmett in a fit of pique. I listened to him spend the whole trip back to the house cajoling her, laughing dumbly as I tried to keep my thoughts away from worries about Renesmee and the Volturi.

I chanted my new mantra in my head again and again. _Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine._

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Please review for me! Tell me if I should keep going.


	6. Chapter 6

The writing mood hit me and I couldn't wait until morning to get this chapter out. So begins the real action, and I hope you enjoy!

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One month later, the whole family and most of our belongings were packed up into a caravan of five cars: Edward and I in front, followed by Jasper and Alice, then Carlisle and Esme, Jacob and Renesmee, and finally Emmett and Rosalie. There was no particular rhyme or reason to our arrangement, just which car happened to pull out of the garage first, but Emmett protested loudly at starting in last place -- I suspected him and Jasper of having a secret bet about who would reach New Hampshire first. I knew putting the two of them in fast cars on the same road at the same time would be a bad idea -- it would be one long Nascar race all the way there. Even if Emmett would be driving one car, at least Alice would be driving the other -- surely she wouldn't let Jasper's competitive edge affect her too much. But then I shuddered as I remembered our trip to Italy only two years before and the harrowing drive to Volterra in the yellow Porsche with Alice in the driver's seat gunning it the whole way. No, this definitely had the makings of a Gran Prix.

Edward flipped on a random CD from his endless collection of classical music. At least, it sounded random to me. Knowing him, it was probably imbued with some great significance to commemorate this great historical milestone of our first move as a family, and my first trip to college.

I stayed lost in thought for the next several hours, alternately reminiscing about our previous trip to New Hampshire and listening to Emmett and Alice trying to outmaneuver each other on empty highway miles ahead of us. Edward seemed content to watch the scenery go by, probably listening to simultaneous play-by-plays of the ongoing race through four minds: Emmett, Alice, Rosalie and Jasper. I had expressly forbidden Jacob from participating in this particular race, given that he carried the precious and breakable cargo of my daughter in the car with him. The idea of any harm befalling Renesmee seemed to bring him up short, and he had agreed quickly. I would have to store that up as ammunition for any future debates I might have with him -- if I could work in something to Renesmee's benefit, I could probably get any concession out of him.

I sighed then as I realized that this would be Renesmee's first trip to college as well as my own -- who ever heard of a one-year-old attending college, even one who looked like a seven-year-old, and who would theoretically not be attending any classes. I suspected that my precocious daughter might just make a few forays into Dartmouth classes when her lessons with Carlisle and Edward bored her, though.

Edward heard my sigh and looked over at me quizzically, still not wanting to break the comfortable silence that had settled between us. I smiled back at him and briefly lifted my shield so he could share my thoughts of Renesmee. After replaying my train of thought for him, I pictured for a moment Renesmee in a cap and gown accepting her bachelor's degree at the ripe old age of ten. We both laughed for a moment at the incongruity, but Edward had caught the tinge of sadness at the end of the thought.

"I know how proud of her you are, so why the regret?" he asked.

"I just worry that she's growing up too fast, missing so much of her childhood. I wish we could make things more normal for her."

"No child has ever been less normal, but she is no worse for it, I think. She is surrounded by family who love her, she is sheltered and protected. If she wanted for anything, I'm sure she would tell us. Besides, I think childhood would bore her."

"Yes, of course... she's too brilliant for her own good -- like father, like daughter," I teased.

"Just brilliant enough," he smiled. I wasn't sure if he was defending himself or our daughter -- probably both.

We lapsed back into silence, and I began to listen again. Emmett and Alice were easy to pick out by the screeching tires and revving engines. With a little effort, I could also make out the smooth-riding sound of Carlisle's Mercedes ghosting along not far behind us. I listened harder for Renesmee and Jacob, driving one of Edward's Italian sports cars that I couldn't name.

Perhaps it was because my senses were so open, searching, but when the scream came it sounded like a bullhorn in my head. _NO!NO!HELP!PLEASE!HELPHELP_ -- Renesmee's voice in my head, laden with panic and fear, cut off abruptly, and in its wake I felt as though my dead heart had been gouged out of my chest with an ice-cold knife, only to be burned to ashes in the next moment.

"EDWARD!" I screamed, but he had already executed a spin maneuver without stopping and we were speeding back the way we had come.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY DIDN'T YOU HEAR THEM?" I continued screaming. This was my worst nightmare come alive. Maybe I was dreaming another waking nightmare, just as I had been the other fifty times I had seen such a scenario in the months since the arrival of the bracelet for Renesmee. I sat back in shock, willing Edward to drive faster, but willing myself to wake up at the same time. I searched for Renesmee's voice again, to tell me she was alright, that she had only been startled out of sleep when Jacob took a turn too fast.

Silence.

We rounded another curve in the highway, the car nearly flying off the road, and I saw the twisted rubble of Edward's car. I stared until the image of the wreckage burned itself into my brain, unable to look away as I wrenched my door off its frame in my haste to get to Renesmee, to feel my baby safe in my arms again.

My eyes burned red with rage when I saw Jacob's body lying limp and twisted ten feet in front of the car. I prayed that he wasn't dead so I could kill him myself. How could he do this to Renesmee? I had thought she was his life, that he could never do anything that might harm her. Stupid! Stupid! I was stupid, he was stupid... I listened for the flutter of her heartbeat, needing to know that she was at least alive. With Edward here and Carlisle seconds behind, I was sure we could save her. For my sanity, I had to be sure.

I was already getting ready to dive into the remains of the car when I realized that I couldn't hear her. I couldn't hear the hummingbird wing sound of her heartbeat, only the heavy thudding of Jacob's useless heart, and I turned toward the sound with murder in my eyes again. I felt my body launch itself at Jacob, fangs bared in a mindless scream and fingers hooked into claws when I saw a body hurtle into my path from my peripheral vision. I registered a beloved face in front of me, Edward's face, just in time to spin my body before I instinctively used my fangs to sever the neck of whatever wretched creature had tried to put itself between me and my quarry.

The thought that I had almost killed my husband, my soulmate, my beloved Edward checked me only for a fraction of a second before instinct took over. I pivoted to launch myself at Jacob again, but this time I felt restraining hands grip my arms from behind. Then Edward was in front of me again, and two other bodies blocked me from the sides. I stopped long enough to recognize Emmett's scent behind me, Alice and Jasper on either side. Carlisle was leaning over Jacob's body.

"Get away from him! He killed my baby! He's mine!" I shrieked and hissed and spat, my voice still distorted with rage.

"No, Bella, no... we may need him to help get Renesmee back..." Edward began, his voice diamond hard with almost as much rage as mine. But his words brought me up short.

"Get Renesmee back?" I echoed. "But where is she? She's not..?"

"No, love, not dead. Kidnapped. I saw it in Jacob's head while we were driving in. It was an ambush. Jane hit Jacob with her gift to incapacitate him while Demetri and Felix forced the car off the road. Before Jacob could regain control and avoid them, Alec blinded him, and Renesmee as well. Jacob tried to fight them off, deaf and blinded though he was, but they escaped. He couldn't see or hear Renesmee, but they must have taken her with them."

"What do they want with her?" "Are you sure?" "But it's so soon..." "Where will they take her?" My family broke out in a babble of questions.

Just as I had been certain for so many months that such a disaster was coming, I was certain of the course now. "They're taking her to Volterra."

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Please read and review. I'm pretty committed to continuing now that I've gotten into the story, but encouragement always helps, and I'd like to know that at least a few people out in cyberspace are enjoying my story :)


	7. Chapter 7

I had never seen such rage and energy as surged between, within and around my family at this moment.

"Let's go! Burdened with Renesmee, they cannot outrun me," Edward growled in a flat, deranged voice.

"We'll be faster in the cars. And we'll stand a better chance of defeating them together than would just you alone, Edward," Jasper countered, ever the strategist.

Emmett didn't seem to care what plan we followed. His hulking form was motionless except for ripples of movement through his shoulders and torso betraying his barely contained anger. Esme's body was bent, wracking with silent sobs, while Rosalie tried to comfort her.

Carlisle was the first to break into action, moving fluidly towards his car, where Jacob already lay unconscious but mending in the back seat. Carlisle's normally peaceful, beneficent expression was twisted with a mixture of shock and bloodlust that looked completely out of place. Everyone else dashed off in the next breath. Edward and I were already back in our car before I noticed that Alice remained frozen where we had all been standing a moment before, a look of desperation and horror slowly transforming her features.

Involuntary gasps, shudders and occasional screams tore through her tiny body while her eyes retained their far-away look. All eyes turned to look at her; we knew she was seeing into the future. I stole a glance at Edward and saw that he had been pulled into the horror of her vision, watching as it unfurled in her mind.

I grabbed his face hard between my hands and jerked his head around to look at me. "What is it?! Tell me! What is she seeing? TELL ME!"

I was becoming shrill and incoherent in my panic, but I didn't care. I just needed to _know_. I didn't care if I died in the rescue mission. I just needed to know that my baby would be safe.

Edward's eyes refocused on me as his mind snapped back to the present, recoiling from Alice's vision, which still kept her transfixed in a state of terror.

"No," Edward whispered, staring at me desperately. "This cannot be. I will not allow it."

Jasper was by Alice's side now, but he made no move to comfort her for fear of breaking her trance -- our need to know what she was seeing was too great.

"JASPER! NO!" And suddenly Alice was with us once again. Jasper crushed her tiny, fragile-looking body to him with a force that could break bones, and she clung to him as though she would crumple to the ground without his support. I understood her pain. She must have seen Jasper's death in her vision, his future if we stayed our course and took off pell-mell after the Volturi kidnappers now. And I remembered what it felt like when I had once thought that Edward was going to die.

The rest of my family must have come to the same conclusion, because we all crept back to stand in a tight circle around Alice and Jasper, our flurry of activity crushed by the enormity of Alice's terrible vision. I felt numb after my anger was abruptly cut off to leave me only with frustration and despair. We would not be able to save Renesmee.

"All dead, all dead, all dead," Alice sobbed. "Jasper, no, don't go. You can't go. No, no, all dead."

"We cannot catch them," Edward relayed for Alice. "And they are waiting for us in Italy. If we go now, they will destroy us all."

"Then what can we do?" Carlisle asked.

"I will go. I have to go. I can't leave her in their hands. My baby!" I vowed.

"And I will go with you. If you go to your death, I go to mine. We will not abandon our daughter," Edward said, taking my hand and turning to face the rest of our family.

"I'm in," Emmett agreed with a grin, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie stepped closer, about to add their pledges, but Jasper interrupted with a raised hand. "You heard Edward -- we cannot go dashing off now. Alice saw us all die. We should gather our friends and make plans. They will all fight for Renesmee just as they pledged to do before, especially now with blatant evidence of the Volturi's treachery."

"You are right, my son. I just hoped this day would not come so soon. I had hoped that Aro was sincere in his desire to restore peace between us," Carlisle sighed. Carlisle's words must have triggered a new resolve, a new decision accompanied by a new future, because Alice stiffened again into a trance and stared blankly forward. This time, she came back to us within a minute.

"It is the same as before, as the last time we faced the Volturi. But more will come. Carlisle, you must gather the covens. Go to the Irish first -- the others witnessed Maggie's gift for discerning the truth at the last meeting. They will be more likely to believe you now if she confirms your story. Emmett and Rosalie will return home to direct Jacob's pack, and then go on to Tanya's clan. You will need Garrett's help to convince the nomads you meet on the way. Jasper and I will scour the south. They make poor allies, but we will need all the help, all the fighters, we can get. Edward and Bella --"

"We go to Italy. We watch, we wait," Edward interrupted harshly. Like me, he chafed at any delay. But I also knew that I could not consign my family to certain death. Myself, maybe, but not the rest.

I turned to Edward and let him pull me to his chest as the rest of our family ghosted off into the night, leaving us on this dark and lonely stretch of highway. I felt his chin resting on the top of my head, but the comforting gesture was marred by the strain of his tightly clenched jaw. My eyes burned with tears that could not squeeze out of my unchanging, immortal body.

"Will we get her back?" I asked pleadingly.

"We have to."

**********

To be continued... please please please leave a review if you haven't already! I want to know who is reading and what you're thinking.


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